Hinduism

issue with term Hinduism

only recently associated with the religion and the term is given by outsiders

Sindh

ancient sanskrit word for ocean in indus valley

Hindusthana

region around indus river

Hindu

people who lived in sindh

origin of word hindu

persians wanted to conquer sindh for the gems but they were unsucessful

when they returned they couldn’t pronounce the letter S so they pronounced it Hind

person from the region called a Hindu

alexander the great and India

wanted to conqure the world and thought sindh was the end

marched on foot but ran into sindh war elephants

retreated back to the west

origin of word india

sindh → indos → india

why did the British colonize India

India was a major control center, so buy controlling India they could control trade

How did British colonize India

they were originally beaten by the Muslim and Hindu people so when they returned they used the strategy of divide and conquer to easily take over

divide and conquer

The British paid Muslims and Hindus to talk bad about each other to divide them and create an artificial religious division

British definition for Hinduism

anyone not a monotheist

British railway

used to ship goods across India and to the ports

Train surfing

passengers climbing on the outside of cargo trains for transport

Sanatana Dharma

closest consensus word for the Indian religion

Jain Ascetics

• non violence

• face mask and no shoes worn to prevent accidently killing bugs

Goddess Kali worshipers

sacrifice goats daily to give her power to defeat evil

Buddhist Monks

can eat meat from animals but cant kill animals themself or eat meat from animals killed specifically for them

Hinduism Statistics

• 1.2 billion total

• 98% in south Asia

  • Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh

• 2nd fastest growing religion

religions of south Asia

• Hinduism

  • Nepal and India

• Buddhism

  • Sri Lanka and Bhutan

• Islam

  • Pakistan and Bangladesh

Major Industry

Farming was 70% in the past, today textiles and IT are also major

Climate and religion

Monsoons season is from June-Sept and is important for farmers

many farmers depend on monsoons for irrigation even today

religious practice to pray to rain Gods

Rain ritual

marry frogs to help bring the rain

Mount Meru

Sky - Heaven and Gods

Top - Demi Gods

Bottom - human realm

ocean - aquatic demi gods

below ocean - hell realms

Forest traditions

monks live and teach in the forest and buddha was enlightened under a Banyan tree

Banyan tree

National tree of India, Buddha enlightened under it

Animals and religion

• animal gods

  • Hanuman the monkey god

• vehicles for the gods

  • indra rides white elephant

  • durga rides tiger

Indra

king of the gods and the god of thunder/rain

Indus Valley Discovery

1. locals found mud bricks

2. Charles Mason (explorer( illustrated what he saw including the mud bricks

3. railway workers excavated the land and dug up streets/buildings

4. archeologists unearthed massive settlements

Indus Valley civilization

• 2500-1900 BCE around Indus river

• 2 largest cities had 40k people

  • Mohenjodaro - mound of the dead

  • Harappa - fortress

• 3500 stone seals found

Indus valley advancements

• sewage system with flushed toilets

• running water and wells

• large public baths (before romans)

• elevated city

• multistory houses

• horse and chariot

• pottery

• paved roads

• precious jewlery

Mohenjodaro

Mound of the dead

thought large mound at center was a funeral monument

(was actually a grain storage)

Indus stone seals

used to identify the owner for traded goods, each one was unique with similar animal symbolism as today

main industry of indus valley

trade/ agriculture

we know because there aren’t any evidence of weapons/war/army

system of weights for selling things and beads used as a currency

Who built indus valley

originally thought to be built be foreigners but recent DNA tests on skeletons show it was made by the locals

continuity of imager between hindu and indus gods/goddesses

• shown in meditative positions

• tigers

• bullhorns

• moon disk

• Rudra (indus) → shiva (hindu)

sacrificial fires

• fire alters in ancient indus valley similar to Homa/Havan of today

• things like antlers and cow bones thrown in by indus to worship gods

• today other things are thrown in

• used to bless marriages today

Phallic objects

Linga - penis of shiva

Yoni - womb/vagina of shivas wife

pour milk and flowers on them

represents power of creation

seen today and back in the indus valley

what happened to the indus valley

climate change due to earth axis tilting led to less rain and the rivers shrinking

couldn’t support a large population so massive migration to the east occurred

Vedas meaning

knowledge

Ved meaning

to know

the vedas

the 4 earliest scriptures that were praises and hymns to the gods (like prayers)

most were to Indra the god of thunder

cosmology

how religions view the world

why are there multiple creation myths

Hinduism is made of many overlapping faiths and traditions

world is seen as cyclical with multiple beginnings and ends

The golden egg

• found in the vedas

• egg floating in ocean split in 2

  • ½ earth (creatures)

  • ½ sky (heavens and gods)

what inspired the golden egg story

fossilized dino eggs encrusted with pyrite

geomythology

the belief in demi-gods inspired by fossils

Garudas

• half bird

• based on flying dino fossils

• protectors who see things coming from above

• line the temples in Thailand

Nagas

• half serpent/dragon

• live in ocean

• found snakes guarding eggs → guardians of treasure

amonites

• a fossil

• represent the sun disks for vishna, the god of light

• also represent the chakras

saligrama

smoother amonites found in rivers and used as a offering to the gods

fossilized tusks

belong to the gods war elephants

Vishnu and the serpent

• Vishnu resting on sesha (the Naga king)

• umbilical cord grew from Vishnu’s naval

  • brahma born on lotus

• Brahma asked Vishnu what to do

  • told to create the world

  • went in deep meditation

  • heard “om” rising from ocean

• splits the lotus to create the world

• felt lonely so he split himself into male and female (saraswati)

om

most sacred sound

Brahma and Saraswathi

Brahma - God of creation

Saraswathi - Goddess of learning/knowledge

Vishnu and Lakshim

Vishnu - god of light, god that sustains the world

Lakshim - Goddess of prosperity and wealth, need resources to sustain earth

Hymns of Purusha

• Found in the vedas

• primordial man purusha sacrificed himself to the gods

• body dismembered to create the world

purusha

primordial man with 1000 eyes, hands, feet

elephant bones resemble a thigh bone → thought they were giants

Caste system

used to organize society, determined at birth and last name shows your caste

castes have unique hair and headwear

Body parts of purusha

• Mouth - Brahmins

• Arms - Kshatriyas

• Thighs - Vaishyas

• Feet - Shudras

Brahmins

• Guard the Vedas

• permission to learn prayers

• perform the Homa/Havan

• birthright to become a priest

• wrote the vedas

Pandit

someone who is a Brahmin and actually practices as a priest

Kshatriyas

• kings and warriors

• right to bare arms

• rule and enforce punishment

• protect the kingdom

• commission pandit to perform homa/havan

Vaishyas

• merchants, artisans and farmers

• facilitate commerce and keep economy going

• business owners

Shudras

• serve the upper castes

• servants/slaves

• darker skins since they spend time outside

• cant study the vedas

Jatis

sub group of castes

dabbawallah

deliver homecooked meals

casteism

• prejudice based on caste

• illegal and can lead to jail

• more common in rural areas

Dalits

• the untouchables

• after long exposure to pollution

• cant wear footwear in upper class

• cant take transit

• build homes but cant enter when finished\remove slippers in restaurants

Dalit careers

• street cleaners

• manual cleaners

• leather workers - touch dead cows

• sewer cleaners

Laws of Manu

• written my kshatriyas

• govern caste rules

Dharma

law/rule/duty

open defecation cause

• colonialism

  • stole resources leading to poverty and a lack of infrastructure

• laws of manu

  • told to urintae/deficate away from home

Gandhi

• peacefully protested

  • hunger strikes

  • wear white robes to represent unity with poor

• fought for Indian independence (1947)

• protested casteism

• renamed Dalit to Harijan

Harijan

new name for Dali (children of god)

exceptions to the caste system

• not all villages have 4 castes

• woman can change caste via marriage

• people lie about their caste

changing last names

used to try and escape caste system, must publish name change in major newspaper daily for 3 months

contemporary caste views

• reject caste system because we all have divinity and are beings of god so we are equal

• all castes are within us

sramana

“seeker”

movement of spiritual thinkers who rejected caste system

Sadus

naked sramana

how to leave the caste system

• give up last name

• give up caste clothing

• shave head/change hairstyle

• give up job associated with caste

• leave place of birth

4 cycles of time

• Krita Yuga

  • golden age

  • longest lifespans

  • people follow their dharma

  • god prevails

  • 4 foot bull

• Treta Yuga

  • 3 foot bull

• Dvapara Yuga

  • 2 foot bull

• Kali Yuga

  • 1 leg bull

  • most unstable

  • short lives

  • nobody follows Dharma

  • evil prevails

  • end of the world

Durga

the warrior goddess, becomes kali

Kali

goddess of darkness and time

Goddess kali story

• gods losing

• give their power to Durga → Kali

• cuts off demons heads - multiply when their blood hits the floor

  • licks up blood mid air

  • wears heads around her neck

• start going crazy and kills gods/goddess too

• husband Shiva lays in front of her → she steps on him → regains sanity

symbolism of kali

• blue skin

  • represents ocean before existence

  • corpse turn blue

  • beauty fades over time

• Mother figure

  • love for all beings

  • protects humanity

Moksha

enlightenment

Bhakti yoga

path of devotion

Yoga

any practice bringing one closer to god

Bhakti yoga relationship with god

like a passionate love affair

• god treated as a lover

• more personal relation

• build a relation with god

Nirguna Brahman

gods hidden form that cant be perceived with the senses

Saguna brahman

god with a form (statues), seen in meditation

know god through saguna before nurguna

ways to express devotion

treat god as a house guest

• clean alter

• make offerings

• shrine room

• given new clothes/bathed

• given time to sleep (curtains)

• fly whisk to wake them up

Puja

action of worship, performed daily

5 senses to appeal to the gods

• sound - bells and hymns

• taste - food offerings

• touch - sacred milk bath, powder

• smell - incense/flowers

• sight - lamps and candles

Ghee

clarified butter used in oil lamps

coconut offering symbolism

• fibers - hair

• hard shell - ego, ask go to break them

• flesh - human heart

• juice - clear, purity of human nature

Forehead marking

blessing from god (the 3rd eye)

→ seat of knowledge, wants to receive gods

examples of Puja

• can be performed by all

• home shines have MURTI → image/statue of god

• formal (temples), and informal (at home)

• more relaxed then during vedic

prasada

holy items that have been offered and already enjoyed by the gods